Wednesday, December 07, 2005

Time for More Layers!

Baby, it's cold outside!

I know, it's only early December, and chances are, it's going to get a lot colder than the single digits at some point. But BRRRRRRRRR! I left the house this morning wearing two pairs of socks inside my boots, two pairs of pants, two sweaters, two scarves, two hats for crying out loud, two pairs of gloves, and one heck of a heavy wool coat. (Nope, no partridges in pear trees.) And still I was cold!

Welcome to Winter!

But adding on extra layers isn't a bad thing, especially when those extra layers happen to be made of whole wheat filo dough, brushed with organic butter and layered with local walnuts and local-to-a-friend pecans.

Yes, it's time once again for my signature holiday baking delight, baklava!

All those nuts I've been shelling recently came in handy last evening as I turned to the last recipe in this round of holiday baking, because I used up all of the walnuts I had shelled to date (about 1 1/2 c) and an equal amount of fresh pecans to make two layers of spice-tossed nuts in between all those light, flaky sheets of filo.

After the whole confection baked, I added the traditional honey syrup (using some of that wonderful local honey from the farmers' market along with organic cane juice crystals, fresh lemon juice, and water) while the pastry was still hot, causing the syrup to hiss and bubble merrily.

And once the pan had cooled, back to the kitchen I went to cut and wrap up almost every last piece to pack into gift boxes (to be shipped to friends today) and small containers or bags (for friends here). I did sample one small piece (the piece that fell apart when I took it from the pan), and I'm happy to report that the usual standards of quality and flavor have been met, if not surpassed.

I know I'll be making more, perhaps next week, and I'd like to try a small batch that works in some organic pistachios and that uses a traditional Turkish recipe for the syrup (using rosewater instead of honey and lemon).

In the meantime, I'm happy to share the majority of this batch with friends, and I hope you'll all enjoy it as much as I did.

About Me

In a quiet Ohio college town lurks a woman with an urge to cook. Her culinary adventures have seduced many and been told across the globe. And now, she has set out on a mission to change the way you think about your food. This, then, is the continuation of her saga... and you are invited along for the journey.